Qilich of Homs

Qilich of Homs (1001-1053) was a general of the Seljuk Empire.

Biography
Qilich of Homs was born in 1001 in Homs, present-day Syria, which was a part of the Abbasid Caliphate. Qilich became a general of the Seljuk Empire when they came to power, and he gained command of an army of 936 troops that invaded Anatolia in 1053. At the Battle of Afsin, his army engaged 981 Byzantine Empire troops under Alvanites of Sochos. Qilich failed to take full advantage of his cavalry and they were routed, allowing for the Byzantine Kataphractoi to swing around the Seljuk rear. Qilich was battled from the front and back, and he was cut down from his horse.

Qilich was held as a prisoner by the Byzantines, and he was offered wine by the Byzantine general Alvanites as he watched the battle. However, because alcohol was not halal in Islam, Qilich refused the offer. After the battle's end, he was held up for ransom along with a few of his soldiers. The Sultan of Homs Ali Umar bin Mubarak refused to pay the hefty ransom cost, and Qilich and his men were executed by beheading.